


Day 2: Ether Gear

by Miphan



Series: Weiszmura Week 2019 [2]
Category: Edens Zero (Manga)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 02:30:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17972756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miphan/pseuds/Miphan
Summary: She breathes with practised ease, her Master's voice recounting lessons inside her head. In and out. Breathe. Concentrate.





	Day 2: Ether Gear

She is walking barefoot among the rubble. It's a planet she doesn't recognise, certainly not because of its crumbled state but thanks to the fog that covers every detail like a curtain. Around her bodies lie, mangled and distorted beyond recognition.

Even in that state, Rebecca's hair hasn't lost its ethereal shine. Her body is full of holes and dried blood is staining her clothes. Beneath her, Shiki is lying in a similar state. She shakily walks further, pointedly keeping her eyes away from Happy's severed head. Something lands in front of her and she startles, the marks of her Ether Gear coming to life, before she realises that it's Pino's broken body that scared her so.

The laugh that echoes through the silence is even more scary. The footsteps are heavy, familiar. The uniform is covered in blood, some of it his, most of it not. His eyes are an icy fire, unwavering, almost inhuman. He raises his guns. She unsheathes her swords. The triggers are pulled and she darts forward-

It's in an unbelievably calm manner that she wakes from the dream. Her room is dark, quiet save for the light humming of Edens Zero's engines. The sound is soothing, like a lullaby. Briefly, she wonders if the ship has a heart of its own. Could they have an invisible companion wandering the halls, keeping watch, waiting for their return each and every time? Maybe they'll never know. Maybe they are not meant to.

Getting up, she ignores the lullaby and dresses quickly, leaving her hair down for once. The door slides open for her to pass and she moves soundlessly down the hallway. The floor is illuminated by low, white lights and she has no problem finding her way.

Shiki's room is close by, to the right and opposite of Rebecca's. His Ether Gear and thus presence in the room is easy to detect. Like a tranquil sea, his gravity wraps around her vision, caressing, probing, recognising. Homura. Safe. Friend. The waves pull back, leaving her stranded on the cold hallway, feeling almost undeserving of the amount of trust placed in her. The desire to live up to that expectation is strong and she knows that she will go to great lengths in order to achieve it.

Rebecca has no ether gear. Homura has suspicions that she is slowly developing one. If the baths on the ship have served to strengthen her own power, then it isn't a false hope that they would help awaken a sleeping force inside the B-Cuber. For now, they only give her aura a soft glow, like a tiny star that hasn't reached its full potential. Yet. The speck of light doesn't interact, it just is, breaths and waits. At this stage, there's nothing else it can do, but Homura is looking forward to the day it will prove a suitable opponent for her sword.

Rebecca is where Happy always is. In her embrace, on her shoulder, hovering nearby, generally in immediate reach. Homura isn't privy to their past, but it is evident that touch is a very significant sense for them. Thus, she has little doubt that Happy is curled up by Rebecca's side, safe and warm underneath the covers. Still, she presses her ear against the door and some of the tension leaves her body when she hears the faint echoes of Happy's snores.

It's in Pino's room that ice races through her veins and brushes its cold fingers at her heart. Having no other way to determine the little robot's situation, she carefully opens the door, just enough for one eye to peer through. The room is dark, deadly silent, empty.

_Pino's broken body, lying before her, eyes devoid of any life and–_

She breathes with practised ease, her Master's voice recounting lessons inside her head. In and out. Breathe. Concentrate.

Weisz's Ether Gear isn't difficult to pinpoint. Like with Shiki's, she has grown familiar with the special essense it emits. It's like flipping through a book with blank pages, not because there's nothing written, but because she can't read what is. Even the cover looks at her with characters she cannot understand.

The lights of the lab Weisz has claimed as his own are on. The door has been left open, an insignificant detail since she wasn't going to knock anyway. She lingers by the entrance for a bit, willing her eyes to adjust to the new lighting, before stepping further in.

Her knowledge about technology isn't vast, but she is certain that this lab is larger than the average. Weisz is standing over an examination table, his back to her and shoulders hunched as he leans forward, and Homura catches a glimpse of Pino, lying on the table.

She's moving before she knows it, Ether Gear activating instantly. It's like breathing, effortless and natural. The tip of her sword presses against Weisz's throat and he freezes, hands lifting instinctively in the air. The patterns of Machina Maker are shining on his right hand, ready for use if they haven't been used already.

Weisz turns his head a bit, just enough to look at her, but she doesn't back down, not even when blood runs from a shallow cut and soaks the collar of his jacket. His eyes, lighter than normal under the strong lights, pierce hers with a ferocity she hasn't witnessed before.

“What are you doing?” The words are soft yet bitter, hiding emotions she struggles to comprehend. She doesn't let her confusion show, hiding behind the mask she always wears. It crumbles a little around the edges when Pino speaks up.

“Wait, Homura-san! We are just making my system better than before.”

“Ha. She doesn't trust me.”

Lies are painful, but truths don't fare any better. Not when they bring a sense of regret for her actions. By her will the sword vanishes and Weisz turns around to face her properly. He leans against the table, arms crossed in front of his chest, and simply regards her with those same eyes from before.

The tension around them is thick, only getting worse when Weisz doesn't speak, doesn't move, does nothing except from watching. She feels like a lab rat whose behavior is expected because the scientist has seen the patterns before.

Oh. _Oh._

She's out of the room before the realization can show on her face.


End file.
